


The One Where Venom Writes Fanfiction

by helloshepard



Series: what we owe to each other [3]
Category: Marvel, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Developing Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16263713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloshepard/pseuds/helloshepard
Summary: “Well.” Eddie says. If it were anyone else reading this, it might seem like nothing more than a story written by a bored adolescent with limited understanding of spell check or the shift key, but Eddie has as much insight into Venom’s head as Venom has into his own.Like I said.Venom is nervous again, twisting into uncomfortable shapes within Eddie’s chest.It’s not done yet.





	The One Where Venom Writes Fanfiction

**Author's Note:**

> AKA, the kids are not all right, but that's a story for another time.
> 
> Be advised: gratuitous references to various sitcoms here.

_“Here’s a copy of my screenplay. It’s about humans, but really, it’s about everybody.”_

_-Thundercracker, Robots in Disguise_

* * *

 

__

Venom doesn’t sleep. It’s something Eddie gets used to far earlier than he expected. It’s small potatoes compared to everything they’ve been through in the last few months, and by the time Eddie has the thought that maybe he should be bothered by it, it’s become entirely normal to drift off to an alien symbiote’s commentary of late-night talk shows. So Eddie lets it go.

(It’s not great for the nightmares--nightmares in Eddie’s case, and he’s not sure what to call Venom’s reasons for waking him in the middle of the night. anxiety? trauma? If he doesn’t sleep, it can’t be a nightmare, but either way, Eddie’s tried to stay up with Venom before, and it just falls to pieces by the third day.)

Anyway, Venom doesn’t sleep. He maneuvers Eddie’s body around sometimes while Eddie is asleep and more often than not, Eddie wakes up in front of the television, where reruns of _F.R.I.E.N.D.S._  and _Law & Order_ are making way for the morning news, when he’s quite certain he had fallen asleep in bed.

Recently, he’s woken up in front of the television, computer on his lap.

(Venom has his own account on the computer. His browsing history is filled with music videos and Wikipedia articles and ripoffs of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. The symbiote still has trouble using the keyboard.)

So it’s no surprise to Eddie when he wakes up one morning to his body sitting upright on the couch, typing away. He’s been startled into consciousness by a particularly vivid dream, which involved falling off the Empire State Building with a garbage bag for a parachute. Venom pauses their hands on the keyboard then redirects his attention to Eddie, curling up in the center of his chest before spreading out, enveloping him in an invisible, warm blanket.

“Thanks.” Eddie manages. His heart is pounding and his mouth is dry, but Venom is an incredibly grounding force. It’s hard to be swept up in your own frantic thought when just a moment ago, half of you was absolutely focused on…

“Whatcha writing?”

Eddie feels a flash of embarrassment, quickly covered up by carefully constructed apathy.

****Practicing writing.** **

Eddie does his best to ignore the tantalizing screen in front of him. That there’s no secrets between them is a lie, and Eddie respects the stupid parasite too much to go snooping in his headspace--or on his side of the computer.

“Can I see?” he asks instead.

Venom hums.

****It’s not done yet. Also, not a parasite.** **

“Hey, it’s fine.” Eddie says. “You don’t need to show me if you don’t want to.”

Venom twists uncomfortably in Eddie’s chest and for a moment Eddie fears the symbiote is going to spring out of Eddie’s body entirely. Instead, Venom tilts the screen back and relinquishes control of Eddie’s hands.

_The bar was dim. The electric lights needed to be replaced , and casted their surroundnigs in an orange hue, much like Diolea 0-A before it sent the Sionia Sector into darknsse._

_Rachel sat on the seat. It was hard and cold under her, and felt like her (research later: can unbonded  humans feel foreign objects in their body?). Frasire had stormed off an hour ago. Rachel was hungry. Rachel had no qualms about eating Frasier’s girlfriend Claire, but Sam had few snacks behind the bar. And now rachel was alone_

_“Where is Frasier??” Phoebe asks._

_“Gone.” rachel is upset, and, Phobe and Sam are not sure how to comfotr her. “Gone andd we are lonely.”_

_“Want a drink?’_

_“we don’t drink poison,” Rachel said. “it’s poison. Kills your liver, makes it less tasty.”_

_Rachel eats out that night. She is weak and tired, and wants food, but the streets are dark without Frasier and she is alone. She wants t ofind Phoebe and Sam, because she left her ~~planet~~  city for Sam and Phoebe (research later-do huumans have many planets?) _

_Sam has missed her.  He is weaker without her, smaller. He finds sam at their apartment, asleep on the bed. Rachel went to sam. Sam could hear her and woke up, then rachel slipped into sam’s body, connecting to the human’s spinal cord just like you would connect the laptop to the extension cordss. Sam was happy. Complere. And so was rachel_

“Well.” Eddie says. If it were anyone else reading this, it might seem like nothing more than a story written by a bored adolescent with limited understanding of spell check or the shift key, but Eddie has as much insight into Venom’s head as Venom has into his own.

 ** **Like I said.**** Venom is nervous again, twisting into uncomfortable shapes within Eddie’s chest. ****It’s not done yet.****

Without thinking, Eddie runs a hand from his collarbone to his abdomen. Venom slithers up to meet his touch and when Eddie pulls away, his hand is coated in black. He rubs bits of symbiote goo between his fingers and Venom purrs at the touch.

“You know,” Eddie says. “Sometimes when people write things, it’s like a mirror to their own lives.”

 ** **This obviously is not.**** Venom tenses under Eddie’s hand. ****My name is Venom.****

“Okay.” Eddie tries again. “I’m in your head, Ven. It’s basically your story--our story--with the names changed. And that’s okay!”

Venom waits. He can understand Eddie’s thoughts before the words slip out of his mouth, but he waits all the same.

“Frasier.” Eddie guesses. “Frasier means Riot? Someone else from your planet?”

****…yes.** **

Eddie pats his hand.

“And it was hard.” Eddie says. “Going with what you believe in, versus what everyone else wants.”

****Are you talking about me or you?** **

“Both.” Venom emerges from Eddie’s side and nuzzles his hand. He’s never let up on the physical touch, not since he first revealed himself to Eddie. Eddie tries not to think about it too hard, because it’s something he wants, and because overthinking is his strong suit. “It’s not a bad thing. Translating our experiences into words is…it’s kind of a human experience. Unless aliens do this too. Do they?”

 ** **None of my previous hosts have.**** Apparently satisfied with Eddie’s touch, Venom settles against Eddie’s shoulder. ****Writing was not a skill required by most warriors.****

Eddie chews on that for a moment. He can feel Venom’s thoughts against his own, two currents running in tandem.

“I’m the first host you’ve had that’s not a warrior?”

 ** **Indeed.**** Venom curls around his thoughts, sends Eddie an image of a blue man (or what Eddie assumes is a man) with icy white hair and dark eyes. ****He was the first. I do not remember much about him.****

“Been a while?” Eddie isn’t entirely sure how old Venom is. It’s never come up before, but Eddie is torn between thinking Venom is young, and _feeling_ Venom is stupidly old, with centuries worth of knowledge and experience crammed into a human’s frail body.

 ** **Yes.**** Venom spreads out along Eddie’s chest, hissing when he covers the spot Riot’s blade had emerged. ****I have not had many hosts. A joining--a true joining--is rare.****

Venom sounds…tired. Not exhausted, as he had when they had been reunited, but tired.

Eddie shuts the laptop.

“You okay?”

Venom doesn’t reply, so Eddie rests his hand on his chest and tries not to see a blade protruding from his stomach. He blinks, and it is gone. There is only Venom, rumbling protectively as they consider what feels like a billion things tangentially connected by virtue of being about Them.

 (And Them means Eddie the human and Venom the symbiote, and also the Venom that is Eddie and Venom together. It’s all terribly confusing, and for a moment Eddie wishes someone could provide the SparkNotes version of this conversation, because he’s quickly losing track of what’s bothering him and what’s bothering Venom.)

(Eddie decides that it doesn’t particularly matter who is bothered by what.)

“Want to talk about it?”

Venom shrugs using Eddie’s shoulders.

****This is the first time my joining has been entirely mutual. That is all.** **

Eddie thinks about that. Venom pushes sensations, then images. Eddie flinches as several lifetimes of pain and rejection and _hate_ fill his body until his chest is burning, until Venom cuts the feelings off and Eddie is left with the notion that his body is too large for his mind.

“I’m sorry.” is all Eddie can think to say.

 ** **You are upset,**** Venom says. ****Why?****

“Because you’re upset.” Eddie replies automatically, but it’s not entirely true. Venom isn’t __upset,__ exactly. Frustrated, maybe, but not upset. “Your life before this just kinda seemed…awful?”

Venom chuckles, a deep, low sound that echoes in Eddie’s ears.

 ** **Compared to this, yes.**** Venom idly pushes another memory in his direction, and Eddie shudders as he feels Riot’s skin against his own. ****I prefer not to dwell on it.****

Before Eddie can reply, Venom emerges from Eddie’s chest to lick his cheek, far more gently than he normally does. ****I have you. Us. I like**** _ ** **you****_ ** **. I like**** ** _ **us** ** _._**_** ** **Why bother with the past?****

Eddie snorts to cover up a laugh. “Good point. Just let me know if you want to. You know. Talk.”

 ** **Will do.**** Venom retreats into the comfort of Eddie’s body and promptly curls up against his stomach. ****Now, it’s time to eat.****

“Pancakes?”

****Mm. Only with syrup.** **

“Fine, fine.”


End file.
